Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2168299
QUADRIPLEX RECEPTACLE
Harcharan S. Bagga
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a quadriplex receptacle and more particularly to
a quadriplex receptacle which can be used as a single unit or divided into two
duplex receptacles and which can be mounted to a support surface directly or
through an adapter or made into a floor unit by adding a back.
Description of Prior Art
According to the known prior art, in order to form a quadriplex receptacle it
is necessary to use two duplex receptacles, each placed in one of two, side by
side
single gang gem boxes or in an enlarged box which can accept two duplex
receptacles side by side. The four receptacles need to be wired in order that
they
function as a multi-receptacle. A multi-aperture face plate can be used to
cover
the box or boxes but there is no adapter to permit the two duplex receptacles
to be
mounted to surfaces other than two gang boxes or single enlarged box. To
convert
the two duplex receptacles to a portable device, it is necessary to mount the
two
duplex receptacles in an enlarged box and cover them with a multiple aperture
wall plate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The instant invention provides a quadriplex receptacle having four
receptacles which can be wired to a single or multiple electrical conductors
or
separated into two duplex receptacles each coupled to one or more electrical
conductors. The receptacles, either as a ganged unit or separated into two
duplex
receptacles, each provide an isolated ground. The quadriplex receptacle can be
2168299
surface mounted, mounted over a variety of types of outlet boxes, mountable
with
or without an adapter plate to various surfaces or can be used as a portable
device
when assembled to a special back. It is an object of this invention to provide
a
quadriplex receptacle.
It is an object of this invention to provide a quadriplex receptacle which can
be selectively separated into two duplex receptacles.
It is another object of this invention to provide a quadriplex receptacle
which can be mounted on a single gang gem box.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a quadriplex
receptacle
which can be mounted upon several types of outlet boxes, and which can be
mounted with or without an adapter plate or employed as a portable device with
the addition of back.
Other object and features of the invention will be pointed out in the
following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,
which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention, and the
best
modes which are presently contemplated for carrying them out.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings in which similar elements are given similar reference
characters:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a quadriplex receptacle constructed in
accordance with the concepts of the invention and shows a 20 Amp version.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the quadriplex receptacle of FIG. 1 viewed
from the rear.
FIG. 3 is rear elevational view of the quadriplex receptacle of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3A is an enlargement of one of the plug reception areas of FIG. 3.
FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a 15 Amp version of the quadriplex
receptacle constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention.
atv4eviton\1047hb.doc 2
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FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the selectively severable line bus of the
quadriplex receptacle of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the contracts used for engaging the line
and neutral blades of a three blade electrical plug.
FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the contacts of FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the neutral bus of the quadriplex receptacle of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 9 is a rear elevational view of the body of FIG. 3 with the line bus of
FIG.
and the neutral bus of FIG. 8 in place.
FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of contacts used for engaging the ground
blade of a three blade electrical plug.
FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the ground bus of the quadriplex receptacle of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 12 is a rear plan view of a back cover for the quadriplex receptacle of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 13 is a rear elevational view of the quadriplex receptacle of FIG. 1.
FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of the quadriplex receptacle of FIG. 4
showing in dashed line the outline of a single gang gem outlet box to which
the
quadriplex receptacle is mounted.
FIG. 15 is a front elevational view of an adapter plate which can be used to
secure the quadriplex receptacle to a mounting surface.
FIG. 16 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the adapter plate of
FIG. 15 taken along the lines 16-16.
FIG. 17 is a rear elevational view of the adapter plate of FIG. 15.
FIG. 18 is a top plan view of the inside of the box for use with the
quadriplex
receptacle.
FIG. 19 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of the box of FIG. 18
taken along the lines 19-19.
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FIG. 20 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the box of FIG. 18
taken along the lines 20-20.
FIG. 21 is an enlarged side elevational view of the movable member of the
strain relief, partly in section.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning now to FIGS. 1 to 4 there is shown quadriplex receptacles 20 and 22
constructed in accordance with the concepts of the instant invention.
Quadriplex
receptacle 22 (see FIG. 4) is intended for 15 Amp, 125 VAC service and
according
to NEMA specification 5-15R has two flat blade openings 24 and 26 to receive
the
flat blades of a suitable plug (not shown). The opening 26 is larger that
opening 24
so that a two blade plug can only be inserted in one way to maintain the
correct
electrical polarization. The larger slot 26 is connected to the white or
neutral
conductor and by maintaining the correct polarization, the external metal
parts of
appliances, TV's, etc. can be grounded through the white or neutral conductor.
The
same arrangement is also used where the plug has a semi-circular ground blade
(not shown) to enter the semi-circular opening 28, but the presence of the
third
blade makes insertion with the wrong polarity impossible.
The quadriplex receptacle 20 is intended for 20 Amp, 125 Volt service and
has its openings arranged according to NEMA specification 5-20R. The opening
30
is larger than the opening 24 and the semicircular opening 28 is so positioned
that a
three blade plug (not shown) could be plugged in the same manner as it would
be
with receptacle 22 of FIG. 4. The difference is the side slot 32 extending
from
opening 30 which can accept the special 20 Amp plug (not shown). The 20 Amp
plug has its white or neutral blade turned 90 with respect to the hot or
black blade.
This prevents the insertion of a 20 Amp plug into a 15 Amp receptacle and
insures
proper, polarized insertion of a 20 Amp plug into a 20 Amp receptacle. As wili
be
described below the line or phase or hot and neutral contacts are constructed
to
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accept flat blades in two perpendicular positions.
Quadriplex receptacle 20 has a truncated, pyramidal body 40 with a flat front
surface 42 in which are placed the openings for four receptacles arranged to
receive polarized three blade 20 Amp plugs (not shown). The two receptacles to
the
left of the center of FIG. 1 are designated A and the two receptacles to the
right of
file center of FIG. 1 are designated B.
A rib 44 extends about file entire periphery of body 40, and four edges 46
extend from rib 44 to from face 42 to define the top face 48, bottom face 50,
and
two side faces 52. An aperture 54 in each of the four edges 46 can receive a
suitable fastener (not shown) to anchor body 40 to the adapter plate, box or
other
structure as will be described below. Aperture 56 in top face 48 and aperture
58 in
bottom face 50 can receive a suitable fastener (not shown) to mount body 40
upon
a single gang gem box (not shown), upon the adapter plate or other structures
as
described below.
Turning now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 3A the various support ribs, bosses and
separators within the cavity 64 of body 40 are shown. A recess 66 extends
completely about the interior of rib 44 to receive and support the outer
periphery of
the cover which closes the substantially open rear surface 62 of body 40. A
series
of ribs 70 adjacent recess 66 support the main body of the cover. Bosses 68
surround the apertures 54 and engage the cover adjacent the apertures 54.
Bosses
72 surround apertures 56 and 58 and extend through mating apertures in the
cover
(not shown). Four sets of dividing walls support the various connecting buses
and
provide insulation barriers to prevent contact between non-mating components.
About the hot, phase or line slot 24 are two parallel, spaced apart walls 74
and 76
and the connecting bus, to be described below, at one side of the contact,
rests
upon the upper surface of wall 76. Each of the walls 74 and 76 has a rib 78 on
its
inner surface which is shorter than the height of its associated wall to
provide a
support surface 80 upon which the other side of a bus leg is placed. A
transverse
CA 02168299 2006-06-02
wall 82 connects walls 74 and 76 and is taller than both to provide an
insulating
barrier between two adjacent buses as will be described below.
The contacts 100 employed to engage both the line an neutral plug blades
are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The contacts 100 have a generally rectangular base
102, open on one side, from which project three arms. All three arms are of
the
same general shape and the arms 104 and 106 face each other while arm 108
faces one edge of arms 104 and 106. Each of the arms 104, 106 has a first
inwardly
directed portion 110, 112, respectively, and a further inwardly portion 114,
116,
respectively, which meet at a nip 118. The ends 120, 122 of the arms 104, 106,
respectively are outwardly directed to guide an inserted plug blade into nip
118 and
facilitate separation of arms 104, 106 to seat the plug blade (not shown)
between
arms 104, 106. The horizontally directed blade of a 20 Amp plug which enters
the
receptacle 20 through side slot 32 will be seated in the nip 118 to make
contact.
The arm 108 also has a first inwardly directed portion 124, a second inwardly
directed portion 126 which forms a nip 128 with the edges 132 of arms 104 and
106. The ends 120 and 122 of arms 104 and 106 are rounded adjacent edges 132
to provide a guide for the entry of a blade of a plug into nip 128 and
facilitate
separation of arm 108 from arms 104, 106 to seat the plug blade (not shown)
between arms 104, 106 and 108. The vertically directed blades of the 15 Amp
plug
and the single vertical blade of a 20 Amp plug will be seated in the nip 128
to make
contact. Two tangs 134 extend from the bottom edge of base 102 on each of the
two parallel base legs. The tangs 134 extend through apertures 136 in the line
bus
140 (see FIG. 5) and are staked to anchor the contacts 100 to the bus.
The hot, phase or line bus 140 is shown in FIG. 5. Bus 140 is made up
of two portions 142 and 144 which can be separated from one another by
breaking
the two links 146 which unite portions 142, 144 mechanically and electrically.
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2168299
With links 146 in place all four receptacles are connected in common with one
another. The line conductor (not shown) can be connected to bus 140 by means
of
a binding head screws 149 or 151 threaded into one of the threaded apertures
148,
150. (see FIG. 13) When links 146 are removed members 152, 154 are common
and members 156, 158 are common. One line conductor (not shown) is then
connected by binding head screw 151 in threaded aperture 150 to activate
members 152, 154 while another line conductor is connected by binding bead
screw 149 in threaded aperture 148 to activate member 156, 158.
The outer edges 162, 164, 166 and 168 of members 152, 154, 156 and 158,
respectively, will be supported by support surfaces 80 of ribs 78 while the
inner
surfaces of members 152, 154. 156 and 158 will be supported by the walls 76.
The bus 170 to which each of the neutral contacts 100 is mounted is shown
in FIG. 8. The bus 170 is a generally rectangular ring having two side members
172, a top member 174 and a bottom member 176. Inwardly directed contact
engaging members 178, 180 extend from opposite ends of side members 172 into
the void within bus 170. Oppositely facing inwardly directed contact engaging
members 182 and 184 extend into the central void in bus 170 from top member
174 and bottom member 176, respectively. Threaded binding head screws (not
shown) may be placed in threaded aperture 186 in member 182 and 188 in member
184 to permit the neutral bus to be connected to the neutral conductors of one
or
more electrical cables.
If the quadriplex receptacle 20 is to be used as a junction box for multiple
electrical devices, then the line conductor is connected to screw 149 or 151
while
the neutral conductor is connected to screw 187 or 189 (see FIG. 13) threaded
into
threaded apertures 186 and 188. If the quadriplex receptacle 20 is to be used
as
two duplex receptacles then after links 146 are broken the line and neutral
conductors of a first electrical cable will be fastened to screws 151 and 189
and
the line and neutral conductors of a second electrical cable will be fastened
to
invVevitonV 047hb.doc 7
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screws 149 and 187. To use the quadriplex receptacle 20 to power the four
receptacles
and pass the electrical cable through for further connection outside of the
quadriplex
receptacle 20, with the links 146 in place a first cable from a power source
is connected
with the line and neutral conductors fastened to screws 151 and 189 and a
second
cable is fastened by screws 149 and 187 and terminated at its opposite end as
desired.
The method of supporting the neutral bus 170 is similar to the manner in which
the line bus 140 was supported except that the tops of both walls 74 and 76
are used
rather than a support surface 80 of a rib 78. Edge 190 of member 180 rests on
the top
of wall 76 and edge 192 rests on the top of wall 74. Edge 194 of member 178
rests on
top of wall 76 while edge 196 rests on top of wall 74. The top of wall 74
supports edge
198 of member 182 and top of wall 76 supports edge 200 of member 182. Edge 202
of
member 184 is supported on the top of wall 74 whiled edge 204 rests on the top
of wall
76. As stated above, the walls 82 are higher than the walls 74, 76 and are
higher than
the combined height of such walls and the buses they support to provide an
effective
insulation barrier between adjacent portions of the line bus 140 and the
neutral bus 170.
The cavities 206 to receive the ground contacts at one end and the ground
blade
at the other are also formed in cavity 64. Aperture 28 has a strengthening rib
208 about
its inner surface. From the backside of wall 74 are formed two, parallel,
spaced apart
walls 210, 212 which join a cross wall 214. Interior strengthening ribs 78 are
placed on
the inside of cross wall 214 and along the back of wall 74. The height of
walls 74 in the
regions of cavities 206 is higher than the remaining parts of walls 74 and the
heights of
the walls 210, 212 and 214 are the same as the height of the central part of
wall 74. The
walls about the cavities 206 engage edges of the buses 140 and 170 and limit
movement of these buses within body 40.
Two hollow columns 218, 220, one to each side of hexagonal recess 216
receive the threaded ends of the screws 149, 151 while recess 216 receives the
end
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2168299
of the tool used to remove links 146. The two hollow columns 222, 224 receive
the threaded ends of screws 187 and 189 respectively.
Turning to FIG. 9 there is shown the quadriplex receptacle 20 body 40 with
the line bus 140 and the neutral bus 170 in place. The neutral bus 170 totally
surrounds the line bus 140 and is prevented from touching the line bus 140 by
the
walls 82.
At this point the cover 230, as shown in FIG. 12, can be put over the
substantially open back surface 62 to substantially close the entrance to
cavity 64.
A low wall 234 surrounds the rear surface 232 of cover 230. Four apertures
236,
adjacent the corners of cover 230, are arranged to be aligned with apertures
54 in
body 40 so that a fastener can pass through receptacle 20. Two elongate
apertures
238 are located, one along the top edge, the other along the bottom edge to
receive
bosses 72. A further low retaining wall 240 has the shape of the void in the
ground bus, as will be described below and assists in locating the ground bus
and
preventing its movement. Four rectangular openings 242 near the corners of
wall
240 permit the ground contacts attached to the ground bus to pass through
cover
230 and enter the cavities 206. Apertures 244 and 246 provide access to screws
149 and 151, respectively, of the line bus 140 and apertures 248 and 250
provide
access to screws 187 and 189, respectively, of the neutral bus 170. A semi-
circular wall 252 isolates the terminal screw of the ground bus from the
screws
149, 151, 187 and 189 and the conductors attached to them. The entrance 254 to
wall 252 is enlarged to receive the lug of the grounding bus as will be
described
below. A slot 256 in the center of cover 230 provides access to the links 146
of
the line bus 140. Four holes 258 permit screws used to fasten the ground bus
to
the body 40 to pass through cover 230 and threadably engage the mounting posts
223.
Turning now to FIG. 10 the ground contacts 260 are shown. Contact 260
has a base 262 which contains an aperture so that contact 260 can be riveted
to the
in0leviton\1047hb.doc 9
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ground bus. Two upstanding arms 264 and 266 extend one from each end of base
262. Each of the arms 264, 266 has a first outwardly directed segment 268,
270,
respectively, followed by an inwardly directed segment 272, 274, respectively.
The
ends 276, 278, respectively, of arms 264 and 266 are directed outwardly to
provide
a lead-in and centering for the ground blade of an inserted piug. The ground
blade
will be engaged by the arms 264, 266 at their narrow entrance 279 at the
junctions
between segments 272, 276 and 274, 278, respectively.
The ground bus 280 is shown in FIG. 11 and is generally rectangular having
a top member 282 and bottom member 284 each of which has a semi-circular
recess 286 to accept part of the bosses 72. The bus 280 is completed by two
side
members 288 and 290 which contain apertures 294 to receive assembly screws
(not shown). Four further apertures 296 are provided to receive rivets 298 to
anchor
the ground contacts 260 to the ground bus 280. A lug 300 is struck from side
member 290 and bent at 90 to the plane of the ground bus 280. A threaded
aperture 302 is place in lug 300 and a binding head screw 304 (see FIG. 13) is
made to engage threaded aperture 302. The grounding conductor of the
electrical
cable is connected to screw 304 to provide an isolated ground which does not
depend on the grounding done through the neutral conductor.
The void 306 within members 282, 284, 288 and 290 is the same shape as
the low wall 240 and slightly larger so that wall 240 can be received within
void 306.
Positioned in that location, lug 300 will span entrance 254 to wall 252 while
the
threaded end of screw 304 fits within the interior of wall 252. The assembly
of the
ground bus 280 with ground contacts 260 attached brings each of the ground
contacts 260 through an aperture 242 in cover 230 into a cavity 206 in body 40
and
adjacent aperture 28. The completed assembly of the cover 230, the ground bus
280 and the body 40 viewed from the rear is shown in FIG. 13.
Due to the locations of the screws 149, 151, 187, 189 and 304, as shown in
FIG. 13, they can all be placed within the profile of the interior of a
standard single
CA 02168299 2006-06-02
gang gem outlet box and the quadriplex receptacle can be supported by such box
using the mounting holes provided by the outlet box. On the front view of a
quadriplex receptacle 22 as shown in FIG. 14, the approximate location of
receptacle 22 with outlet box 310 is shown. The mounting ears of box 310 will
appear behind the bosses 72 and fastening screws (not shown) will be passed
through apertures 56 and 58 in bosses 72, through apertures 238 in cover 230
and
threadedly engage the threaded apertures in the box ears.
If desired, the quadriplex receptacles 20, 22 can be mounted to a so-called
"4 inch box", directly to a wall or other structural member using an adapter
plate 320
as shown in FIGS. 15, 16 and 17. Plate 320 has a generally planar inside
surface
322 and a planar outside surface 324. A raised wall 326 extends completely
about
inside surface 322 with square outside corners and rounded inside corners. The
inside profile of wall 326 matches the outside'profile of rib 44 so that body
40 seats
within wall 326 with rib 44 closely aligned with the inner profile of wall
326. The
amount of rib 44 that enters the adapter plate 320 depends upon the position
of the
limit ribs 328. A central, rectangular opening 330 is surrounded by low wall
332 on
outside surface 324. The opening 330 permits the electrical cables (not shown)
to
be brought to the receptacles for connection thereto. The low wall 332
prevents
debris entering the receptacle as when mounted in a plaster or sheet rock
wall. A
number of elongate apertures 334 are placed along the top and bottom portions
of
adapter plate 320 to receive mounting screws therethrough to anchor the plate
320
to a wall, for example. The receptacle 20, 22 is then fastened to adapter
plate 320
using fasteners (not shown) passed through apertures 54 and 236 into apertures
336 in bosses 338. Additional apertures 340 also can receive fasteners passed
through apertures 54 and 236.
To permit use of the quadriplex receptacles 20, 22 as portable devices, a
plastic box 350, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 21, can be fitted to the rear of the
receptacles 20, 22. The box 350 has a base 352 having a generally flat inside
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surface 354 and a flat outside surface 356 with a wall 358 extending about the
entire inner surface 354. The wall 358 has a height sufficient to provide
clearance
for lug 300 and for one or more electrical cables to be connected to the
receptacles
20, 22. This height may be, for example, 7/8 of an inch. Four columns 360
having
holes 362 are arranged on inner surface 354 to be aligned with the apertures
54
and 236. A self-threading fastener (not shown) can be passed through aperture
54
in body 40, aperture 236 in cover 230 and engage the wall of the hole 362 of
column 360 to secure receptacle 20, 22 to box 350. To be able to use box 350
as a
surface mounted box, four apertures 364 are provided, one centered on each of
the
four edges of box 350. Each aperture 364 is surrounded by a boss 366 and is
covered by a knock-out tab 368. The knock-out tabs 368 are removed using an
awl
or other similar tool (not shown) and fasteners are positioned in the
apertures 364.
An electrical cable entry 370 is provided in wall 358 and adjacent cable entry
370 is placed a strain relief 372. A wall 374 surrounds the cable entry 370
having
two parallel spaced apart end sections 376 and a central section 378. A
portion of
central section 378 is removed to provide a raised curved step 380. A similar
raised,
curved step 382 is formed adjacent the juncture of wall 358 with inside
surface 354.
Centered between raised, curved steps 380 and 382 is a similar raised, curved
step
384. Formed at each end of step 384 is a column 386 having a bore 388 therein.
Column 386 has a lower portion of a first diameter 390 and a second upper
portion
392 of a lesser diameter providing a step 394.
The entire inside of the region bounded by the wall 374 is covered by
member 396. The bottom surface of member 396, as shown in FIG. 21 has two
centrally located raised curved steps 398 (only one is visible in FIG. 21)
which are
respectively, centered in the space on inside surface 354 between steps 380
and
384 and the space between steps 384 and 382. At the ends of member 396 are
bores 400 having a first portion 402 of a first diameter and a second portion
404 of a
lesser diameter and providing step 406 between them. When member 396 is
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positioned on column 386, lower portion 390 is in bore section 402 and upper
portion 392 is in bore section 404. Step 406 is in contact with step 394. This
is the
condition with no cable in the strain relief 372. Depending upon the thickness
of the
electrical cable placed in the strain relief 372, the relative positions of
the bore 400
with respect to the column 386 changes. A counterbore 408 accepts the head of
a
fastener (not shown) used to control the spacing between steps 380, 382 and
384
on inner surface 354 and the steps 398 on member 396. The fastener, a self-
taping
screw, (not shown) engages the wall about bore 388 in column 386 and controls
the
spacing between the member 396 and the steps 380, 382 and 384.
After an electrical cable (not shown) has been passed through cable entry
370 and through strain relief 372 and its conductors attached to the proper
bus, and
some slack provided in the cable in the box 350, the movable grip member 396
is
made to grip the electrical cable within the walled portion 374. Because of
the steps
380, 382 and 384 on inside surface 354 and the steps 398 on the member 396 the
electrical cable is securely grasped. Based upon the thickness and stiffness
of the
electrical cable, the cable may be made to undulate in the strain relief 372
improving the grip on the cable.
If it is desired to have two duplex receptacles in the box 350, a second cable
entry 370a and second strain relief 372a are used. As shown in FIG. 20 the
wall 358
has a recess 420 and a portion of the back wall 422 of such recess 420 can be
punched out to give a circular cable entry 370a. A strain relief 372a is
provided
adjacent cable entry 370a. There are a total of three possible cable entries
each
with its own strain relief. Only one is provided without a plug and the other
two have
removable knock-out plugs. Two cable entries are required where the electrical
cable feeding the quadriplex receptacle is also passed through the receptacle
for
further connection to other components.
If it is desired to make contact with the buses outside of the box, conductors
can be attached to the buses and brought out cable entry 370 to be used as
pigtails
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which would not require disassembly of the box 350.
While there have been shown and described and pointed out the
fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred
embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions
and
changes of the form and details of the devices illustrated and in their
operation may
be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the
invention.
14
